Faith Has No Road Map...

Isn’t it fascinating seeing God work out His will through people? There are so many times God’s Will involves frustration, uncertainty, and even despair on our parts, only for us to be redeemed by the end of the situation. Here in Exodus chapter 5 we find Moses complaining to God about His choosing him to lead the people out of Egypt. Moses was thinking, “This is so not how this was supposed to go”. He thought God was going to make this situation go as smoothly as a boat glides across the sea with a steady breeze. First off Pharaoh rejects his request. Second, Pharaoh increases the demand on the Israelites by burdening them to make the same amount of bricks while not providing the straw to produce them. That lead to the Israelites cursing Moses. Moses is now “getting it” from every side. He feels “Why Me?” It’s pity party time. It’s funny how God allows us to despair sometimes, to break through our pride in order to motivate us to get off our “set in our ways” butt and do the thing that will ultimately solve the dilemma. The Israelites probably wouldn’t have listening to Moses if Pharaoh hadn’t treated them more harshly. It took being threatening and taken out of their comfort zone, to break their pride and familiarity with Egypt. Even in the future wilderness, they wanted to go back. How often do we do the very same thing. Our “comfort zone” keeps us from growing and expanding. God sometimes needs to get our attention and that usually involves hardship and discomfort. Lighting a fire under our butt usually does the trick. Here’s the truth in this: when we decide to follow God, expect unpleasantries. Expect things to not always go as you think they should go. When things go outside of our thinking, talk to God about it. Ask Him to reveal His presence to you and trust Him to be there and help you through it. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. That’s why we need to be grafted into Him (the Vine), we then can be more aligned with His ways and His thoughts. Trusting God in faith isn’t easy. It’s really hard at times. But that’s a challenge we are to take and it’s what makes life exciting and worth living. Faith is a journey that doesn’t have a map, it’s not clearly marked out for us, but you know your ultimate destination. God will get you through.

After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let My people go so they may hold a festival in My honor in the wilderness.”2 “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to Him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”3 But Aaron and Moses persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t, He will kill us with a plague or with the sword.”4 Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! 5 Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” Making Bricks without Straw 6 That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: 7 “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! 8 But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9 Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”10 So the slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people: “This is what Pharaoh says: I will not provide any more straw for you. 11 Go and get it yourselves. Find it wherever you can. But you must produce just as many bricks as before!” 12 So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt in search of stubble to use as straw.13 Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. “Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!” they demanded. 14 Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge of the work crews. “Why haven’t you met your quotas either yesterday or today?” they demanded.15 So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. “Please don’t treat your servants like this,” they begged. 16 “We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand, ‘Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!”17 But Pharaoh shouted, “You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ 18 Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.”19 The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day.” 20 As they left Pharaoh’s court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them. 21 The foremen said to them, “May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!”22 Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have You brought all this trouble on Your own people, Lord? Why did You send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh as Your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to Your people. And You have done nothing to rescue them!” Exodus 5